A fun spring and summer activity can be helping your child learn to grow vegetables. Growing vegetables or herbs teaches children that plants, like people, need food and water to grow and stay healthy. A garden can teach your child about new foods. Kids usually taste what they grow.

For a family gardening project, you can start small and create your own mini garden. Children can plant seeds in milk cartons, coffee cans, ice cream, tubs, or ceramic pots. Seeds that grow well in containers include: beets, carrots, cherry, tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, herbs, leaf lettuce, okra, peppers, and radishes.

Gardening Guidelines

1. The seed package gives you all the information you need.

2. Select a container. Match the container to the size of the plant. Tomatoes require a much bigger container than herbs. Punch holes in the bottom, if there are none.

3. In the bucket, combine soil with water until the soil is damp. Fill your container with damp soil to one-half inch from the top.

4. Read the seed packet to see how far apart and how deep to plant the seeds. Cover the seeds gently with soil.

5. Keep the seed bed watered well. Place a plate or tray under the planter container so the container will not leak.

6. Place the containers in a sunny spot.

7. Once a week, add fertilizer, following directions on the label.

8. Turn the containers often, so that sunlight reaches all sides of the growing plants.

9. As the plants grow larger, use scissors to trim the leaves of side-by side plants, so they do not touch each other.

10. When the vegetables or herbs are fully grown, pick them, wash them and serve them in family meals.